PartyNames: Southern Union Company v. United StatesPetitioner: Southern Union CompanyRespondent: United States

Court Below: United States Court of Appeals for the First CircuitCitation: 630 F.3d 17Supreme Court Docket

Southern Union Company v. United States

Question Presented:

Whether the Fifth and Sixth Amendment principles that this Court established in Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466 (2000), and its progeny, apply to the imposition of criminal fines.

Question:

In light of the rights to criminal due process under the Fifth Amendment and a trial by jury under the Sixth Amendment, must a fact that increases the penalty for a crime, beyond the prescribed statutory maximum, be submitted to a jury and proved beyond a reasonable doubt if the penalty is the imposition of criminal fines?